8 Flowering Vines to Plant for Nonstop Summer Blooms
Bursting with colors ranging from fiery red to purple, these showy climbers will carry your garden through summer
Lauren Dunec Hoang
13 June 2018
Houzz Editor; landscape designer and former garden editor for Sunset Magazine and in-house designer for Sunset's Editorial Test Garden. Her garden designs have been featured in the Sunset Western Garden Book of Landscaping, Sunset Western Garden Book of Easy-Care Plantings (cover), Inhabitat, and POPSUGAR.
Houzz Editor; landscape designer and former garden editor for Sunset Magazine and... More
Planting a flowering vine for summer can be a great way to attract pollinators, boost curb appeal with a cascade of flowers or cast some shade over an outdoor seating area. Here are eight summer-flowering varieties to keep an eye out for. Each one packs a punch with continuous flowers all season.
For most climates (excluding hot desert areas), spring through early summer is the perfect time to plant. At the nursery, look for healthy, vigorous vines that are just beginning to bud.
What to do in your garden this month
For most climates (excluding hot desert areas), spring through early summer is the perfect time to plant. At the nursery, look for healthy, vigorous vines that are just beginning to bud.
What to do in your garden this month
1. Mandevilla
(Mandevilla spp. and hybrids)
With showy flowers in a range of colors — from crisp white to sunset shades of bright red, pink and orange — mandevilla vines add a nice splash of color to summer gardens. They thrive in warm, humid climates.
If you’re looking for a mandevilla to cover a trellis, don’t make the mistake of buying one of the dwarf hybrids — many never reach more than 18 inches tall. Instead, check the plant tag and make sure you have one that will grow into a true vine. Pink-flowering ‘Alice du Pont’ (Mandevilla x amabilis ‘Alice du Pont’) is commonly available and reaches at least 20 feet long.
Caution: All parts of the vine are poisonous if ingested.
Origin: Garden hybrid; the species is native to the southwestern U.S., Mexico, Central America, the West Indies and South America
Where it will grow: Hardy to 20 degrees Fahrenheit, or minus 6.7 degrees Celsius (USDA zones 9 to 11; find your zone); grow as an annual elsewhere
Water requirement: Moderate
Light requirement: Full sun to light shade
Mature size: Varies by species and hybrids; large vines can reach 10 to 20 feet tall and wide, while dwarf hybrids can stay as compact as 18 inches tall and 24 inches wide
Learn more about growing mandevilla | Browse garden trellises
(Mandevilla spp. and hybrids)
With showy flowers in a range of colors — from crisp white to sunset shades of bright red, pink and orange — mandevilla vines add a nice splash of color to summer gardens. They thrive in warm, humid climates.
If you’re looking for a mandevilla to cover a trellis, don’t make the mistake of buying one of the dwarf hybrids — many never reach more than 18 inches tall. Instead, check the plant tag and make sure you have one that will grow into a true vine. Pink-flowering ‘Alice du Pont’ (Mandevilla x amabilis ‘Alice du Pont’) is commonly available and reaches at least 20 feet long.
Caution: All parts of the vine are poisonous if ingested.
Origin: Garden hybrid; the species is native to the southwestern U.S., Mexico, Central America, the West Indies and South America
Where it will grow: Hardy to 20 degrees Fahrenheit, or minus 6.7 degrees Celsius (USDA zones 9 to 11; find your zone); grow as an annual elsewhere
Water requirement: Moderate
Light requirement: Full sun to light shade
Mature size: Varies by species and hybrids; large vines can reach 10 to 20 feet tall and wide, while dwarf hybrids can stay as compact as 18 inches tall and 24 inches wide
Learn more about growing mandevilla | Browse garden trellises
2. Bleeding Heart Vine
(Clerodendrum thomsoniae)
Bleeding heart vine forms clusters of creamy white bell-shaped calyxes (the flowers’ leafy outer parts), each with a bright red star-shaped flower peeking through the bottom. The vines produce more flowers if given a water-soluble fertilizer throughout the growing season.
Bleeding heart vine thrives in partial shade. Try growing one in a tree-dappled side yard or under a shade pergola. In cold-climate regions, move a potted plant indoors in winter or grow this vine as an annual.
Origin: Native to tropical regions of West Africa
Where it will grow: Hardy to 35 degrees Fahrenheit, or 1.7 degrees Celsius (zones 10 to 12); grow as an annual elsewhere
Water requirement: Moderate
Light requirement: Partial shade; ideal conditions are morning sun and afternoon shade
Mature size: 12 to 15 feet tall and wide
(Clerodendrum thomsoniae)
Bleeding heart vine forms clusters of creamy white bell-shaped calyxes (the flowers’ leafy outer parts), each with a bright red star-shaped flower peeking through the bottom. The vines produce more flowers if given a water-soluble fertilizer throughout the growing season.
Bleeding heart vine thrives in partial shade. Try growing one in a tree-dappled side yard or under a shade pergola. In cold-climate regions, move a potted plant indoors in winter or grow this vine as an annual.
Origin: Native to tropical regions of West Africa
Where it will grow: Hardy to 35 degrees Fahrenheit, or 1.7 degrees Celsius (zones 10 to 12); grow as an annual elsewhere
Water requirement: Moderate
Light requirement: Partial shade; ideal conditions are morning sun and afternoon shade
Mature size: 12 to 15 feet tall and wide
3. Bougainvillea
(Bougainvillea spp.)
Often seen with more flowers than leaves, flamboyant bougainvillea makes a big impact as a feature of Mediterranean-style gardens and patios. The plants thrive in tough conditions, such as areas with poor soil or in the baking heat of a full-sun courtyard. Choose among flower colors that range from white and bicolored pink and white to vibrant fuchsia, coral, red, orange and creamy yellow.
If you’re planting a bougainvillea close to a walkway or in a garden with kids, choose a thornless variety such as white-flowering Ms. Alice (B. ‘Singapore White’) or the semithornless, pale pink Silhouette (B. ‘Singapore Pink’).
Bougainvilleas are frost-tender. Bring potted plants to a sheltered location or provide frost protection in winter.
Origin: Native to tropical areas of South America
Where it will grow: Hardy to 30 degrees Fahrenheit, or minus 1.1 degrees Celsius (zones 9 to 11)
Water requirement: Moderate; low once established
Light requirement: Full sun to light shade
Mature size: 15 to 30 feet tall and 10 to 20 feet wide
See how to grow bougainvillea | Find a designer to help you choose the right plants
(Bougainvillea spp.)
Often seen with more flowers than leaves, flamboyant bougainvillea makes a big impact as a feature of Mediterranean-style gardens and patios. The plants thrive in tough conditions, such as areas with poor soil or in the baking heat of a full-sun courtyard. Choose among flower colors that range from white and bicolored pink and white to vibrant fuchsia, coral, red, orange and creamy yellow.
If you’re planting a bougainvillea close to a walkway or in a garden with kids, choose a thornless variety such as white-flowering Ms. Alice (B. ‘Singapore White’) or the semithornless, pale pink Silhouette (B. ‘Singapore Pink’).
Bougainvilleas are frost-tender. Bring potted plants to a sheltered location or provide frost protection in winter.
Origin: Native to tropical areas of South America
Where it will grow: Hardy to 30 degrees Fahrenheit, or minus 1.1 degrees Celsius (zones 9 to 11)
Water requirement: Moderate; low once established
Light requirement: Full sun to light shade
Mature size: 15 to 30 feet tall and 10 to 20 feet wide
See how to grow bougainvillea | Find a designer to help you choose the right plants
4. Honeysuckle
(Lonicera spp.)
Favored by hummingbirds, honeysuckle offers sprays of sweetly scented, nectar-rich blooms on a pretty, twining vine. Plant it to cascade over a fence and fill a courtyard with the heady, sweet fragrance. Japanese honeysuckle and other introduced varieties can be considered invasive in some areas. Check with your local nursery before planting.
(Lonicera spp.)
Favored by hummingbirds, honeysuckle offers sprays of sweetly scented, nectar-rich blooms on a pretty, twining vine. Plant it to cascade over a fence and fill a courtyard with the heady, sweet fragrance. Japanese honeysuckle and other introduced varieties can be considered invasive in some areas. Check with your local nursery before planting.
For a U.S. native alternative, try trumpet honeysuckle (Lonicera sempervirens), shown here, which is native to the East Coast as well as parts of the midwestern United States and south to Florida and Texas.
Origin: Varies by species
Where it will grow: Hardiness varies by species; many range from zones 4 to 9
Water requirement: Moderate
Light requirement: Full sun to light shade
Mature size: Varies by species; many are more than 20 feet tall and wide
Origin: Varies by species
Where it will grow: Hardiness varies by species; many range from zones 4 to 9
Water requirement: Moderate
Light requirement: Full sun to light shade
Mature size: Varies by species; many are more than 20 feet tall and wide
5. Orange Clock Vine
(Thunbergia gregorii)
These showy vines are easy to grow and can cover a trellis in a single season with cheerful, long-blooming orange flowers. In mild-climate regions, orange clock vines often bloom sporadically year-round; elsewhere they grow as an annual and bloom until frost. The bright orange flowers set T. gregorii apart from the more common dark-centered black-eyed Susan vine (T. alata).
Origin: Native to tropical areas of Africa
Where it will grow: Hardy to 25 degrees Fahrenheit, or minus 3.9 degrees Celsius (zones 9 to 10); grow as an annual elsewhere
Water requirement: Moderate
Light requirement: Full sun
Mature size: 8 to 10 feet tall
(Thunbergia gregorii)
These showy vines are easy to grow and can cover a trellis in a single season with cheerful, long-blooming orange flowers. In mild-climate regions, orange clock vines often bloom sporadically year-round; elsewhere they grow as an annual and bloom until frost. The bright orange flowers set T. gregorii apart from the more common dark-centered black-eyed Susan vine (T. alata).
Origin: Native to tropical areas of Africa
Where it will grow: Hardy to 25 degrees Fahrenheit, or minus 3.9 degrees Celsius (zones 9 to 10); grow as an annual elsewhere
Water requirement: Moderate
Light requirement: Full sun
Mature size: 8 to 10 feet tall
6. Tall Morning Glory
(Ipomoea purpurea, formerly Convolvulus purpureus)
Tall morning glory, also called common morning glory, offers a steady supply of velvety trumpet-shaped flowers from June to October without needing much care in return. The flowers — which open in the morning and close by midafternoon — attract hummingbirds, butterflies and other pollinators. The vines are grown as annuals in most regions.
6 Steps to Creating Your Butterfly Garden
(Ipomoea purpurea, formerly Convolvulus purpureus)
Tall morning glory, also called common morning glory, offers a steady supply of velvety trumpet-shaped flowers from June to October without needing much care in return. The flowers — which open in the morning and close by midafternoon — attract hummingbirds, butterflies and other pollinators. The vines are grown as annuals in most regions.
6 Steps to Creating Your Butterfly Garden
Tall morning glory is considered invasive in Florida, Georgia and Kentucky, as well as parts of Virginia and other warm states. If you live in one of these areas, pick another vine to plant.
If you live outside of these regions but are worried about the vines popping up all over your garden, choose a species that will be less likely to reseed in your area. For example, I. tricolor forms flowers late in the season. In northern regions, the weather is too cold and wet for the seeds to germinate when they ripen in the fall. There are also morning glory varieties that are sterile, meaning they won’t produce another plant.
Caution: All parts of the vine are poisonous if ingested.
Origin: Native to Mexico and South America
Where it will grow: Often grown as an annual
Water requirement: Moderate
Light requirement: Full sun
Mature size: 6 to 10 feet tall and 3 to 6 feet wide or larger
If you live outside of these regions but are worried about the vines popping up all over your garden, choose a species that will be less likely to reseed in your area. For example, I. tricolor forms flowers late in the season. In northern regions, the weather is too cold and wet for the seeds to germinate when they ripen in the fall. There are also morning glory varieties that are sterile, meaning they won’t produce another plant.
Caution: All parts of the vine are poisonous if ingested.
Origin: Native to Mexico and South America
Where it will grow: Often grown as an annual
Water requirement: Moderate
Light requirement: Full sun
Mature size: 6 to 10 feet tall and 3 to 6 feet wide or larger
7. Scarlet Runner Bean
(Phaseolus coccineus)
Scarlet runner beans are easy to grow and offer a double whammy: bright decorative flowers followed by a productive crop of beans. These vines add color to a trellis in an edible garden or can grow to quickly create a screen for a sunny spot on the patio.
To prolong flowering, make sure to harvest the beans regularly. Picked young, the pods can be eaten as green beans (although the skins are slightly fuzzy). Left a bit longer on the vine, they can be used as shelling beans. The scarlet flowers are attractive to bees, butterflies and hummingbirds.
Origin: Native to South and Central America
Where it will grow: Hardy to minus 0 degrees Fahrenheit, or minus 17.8 degrees Celsius (zones 7 to 11)
Water requirement: Moderate
Light requirement: Full sun
Mature size: 10 to 12 feet tall
(Phaseolus coccineus)
Scarlet runner beans are easy to grow and offer a double whammy: bright decorative flowers followed by a productive crop of beans. These vines add color to a trellis in an edible garden or can grow to quickly create a screen for a sunny spot on the patio.
To prolong flowering, make sure to harvest the beans regularly. Picked young, the pods can be eaten as green beans (although the skins are slightly fuzzy). Left a bit longer on the vine, they can be used as shelling beans. The scarlet flowers are attractive to bees, butterflies and hummingbirds.
Origin: Native to South and Central America
Where it will grow: Hardy to minus 0 degrees Fahrenheit, or minus 17.8 degrees Celsius (zones 7 to 11)
Water requirement: Moderate
Light requirement: Full sun
Mature size: 10 to 12 feet tall
8. Jasmine Nightshade
(Solanum laxum, syn. S. jasminoides)
From the same family as tomatoes and potatoes, jasmine nightshade, also called potato vine, forms clusters of purple-blue or white flowers on delicate stems. In mild-climate regions, jasmine nightshade blooms nearly year-round; in colder areas its is grown as a summer-flowering annual. These plants can be aggressive in some climates but are more easily managed in dry climates.
The plants are shrubby vines and can be pruned as bushes or grown as vines. Either way, plants grown as perennials benefit from being cut back yearly to keep them from looking rangy. Plants thrive in arid climates and can be grown in desert regions, where they welcome some light shade.
Caution: All parts of the vine are poisonous if ingested.
Origin: Native to Brazil
Where it will grow: Hardy to 20 degrees Fahrenheit, or minus 6.7 degrees Celsius (Zone 9)
Water requirement: Low once established
Light requirement: Full sun to partial shade
Mature size: 25 to 30 feet tall
Learn more about growing jasmine nightshade
(Solanum laxum, syn. S. jasminoides)
From the same family as tomatoes and potatoes, jasmine nightshade, also called potato vine, forms clusters of purple-blue or white flowers on delicate stems. In mild-climate regions, jasmine nightshade blooms nearly year-round; in colder areas its is grown as a summer-flowering annual. These plants can be aggressive in some climates but are more easily managed in dry climates.
The plants are shrubby vines and can be pruned as bushes or grown as vines. Either way, plants grown as perennials benefit from being cut back yearly to keep them from looking rangy. Plants thrive in arid climates and can be grown in desert regions, where they welcome some light shade.
Caution: All parts of the vine are poisonous if ingested.
Origin: Native to Brazil
Where it will grow: Hardy to 20 degrees Fahrenheit, or minus 6.7 degrees Celsius (Zone 9)
Water requirement: Low once established
Light requirement: Full sun to partial shade
Mature size: 25 to 30 feet tall
Learn more about growing jasmine nightshade
Share: What are your favorite summer-flowering vines for your region? Tell or show us in the Comments.
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For morning glory, what do you consider "northern"? Because I am in PA (same latitude as NYC) and from one seed planted 8 years ago, I have hundreds of reseeded plants every year. Very invasive but beautiful.
Morning glory is very invasive in Oklahoma. But it is pretty and the hummingbirds visit. I also like Mexican Flag , also called Exotic Love- tricolored flowers but it takes months to bloom. I like Cardinal Flower, vining nasturtiums and Canary Vine. I cannot tolerate Virginia Creeper and needed to pay a hardworking young man more than $900 last year to work on eradicating it. I'm sure it will be back but he did a great job. I love climbing roses. Good article with nice photos.